Spouse Calls -- Douse of reality

Stars & Stripes

Spouse Calls

Douse of reality

By Terri Barnes
Published: August 29, 2014

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There’s a social media deluge going on. Men, women and children, sometimes entire crowds of people at once, are dumping buckets of ice water on themselves or each other. This wetting-down has a purpose, mostly raising funds toward research into treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or other forms of support for those who have the disease.

I talked to someone this week who had not heard about the “ice bucket challenge.” Explaining it to him made me realize how crazy it sounds: A person takes video of himself or herself getting doused with several gallons of icy water and posts it on social media and then challenges several friends, by name, to either donate $100 to the ALS Association or dump a bucket of cold water on their own heads. Judging by the videos I’ve seen, most people do both: give money and receive a cold shower.

It’s been good, clean — and bracing — fun, a diversion during a long, hot summer. Best of all, it’s for a worthy cause, refreshingly different from other social media trends. (Anyone remember planking or the “Harlem Shake”?)

The ALS Association reported Wednesday that donations have exceeded $94 million in the first few weeks of August. During the same period last year, donations were around $2 million, the story said. Some other organizations might have benefited in smaller amounts, since some ice bucket challengers have asked friends to give to other charities as well.

Behold the power of social media and peer pressure. All this makes me wonder why it takes a bucket of ice water to call attention to one of the serious ills of the world. We certainly knew about ALS — also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — before now.

To people in other cultures, it may appear a little silly. Dana, a military daughter currently working in Africa, posted a picture on her Facebook page of children carrying buckets of water on their heads with the caption: “Ice bucket challenge? You know how far I had to walk for this?”

In drought-stricken California, some people accepted the challenge by dumping dirt on their heads to conserve water, though presumably they had to use water to wash it off. I’m all for fun with a purpose, but I wish it didn’t take such extreme measures to get our national attention. I wish it didn’t take buckets of cold water poured over our heads to get us to pay attention to what’s going on in the world.

Some military family members suggested more issues that could use more attention, namely:

“Our servicemembers and their families,” said Kathleen, a military mom as well as wife. “So many tired souls, just flat worn out. Sometimes I worry that the civilian community as a whole thinks military families all come with a suit of armor. That somehow military families are made of thicker skin than the rest of society.”

Several other military and family members nominated diseases like Type 1 diabetes, brain cancer and childhood cancers for more public attention and private donations. Another suggested donations to March of Dimes to support research into birth defects and premature birth.

Even without ice water, there’s been no shortage of news stories to make our collective blood run cold: the beheading of American journalist James Foley by Islamic State militants and the potential for American military action there; racial unrest in Ferguson, Mo.; the ebola virus spreading across Africa; Russian tanks rolling into the Ukraine, and continued fighting in Israel.

Perhaps people feel powerless in the face of these events and diseases, and a bucket of cold water and a donation of cold hard cash is a tangible way to reach out and touch the world. It’s one good step that deserves another, and another.

Here’s my challenge: Donate to a favorite charity or charities. Better yet, volunteer and give of yourself and your time. Stay informed on issues that matter. Connect with your community. Hold elected representatives accountable. Vote. Act. Give. Now. Don’t wait for the bucket of ice water. www.kathleenmrodgers.com